If you have a home network with several computes and devices, it’s a good idea to assign each of them a specific address. If you use DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), each computer will request and be assigned an address every time it’s booted up. When you have to do troubleshooting on your network, it’s annoying going to each machine to figure out what IP they have.

Using Static IPs prevents address conflicts between devices and allows you to manage them more easily. Assigning IPs to Windows is essentially the same process, but getting to where you need to be varies between each version.

Windows 7 or Windows 8.x

To change the computer’s IP address in Windows 7, type network and sharing into the Search box in the Start Menu and select Network and Sharing Center when it comes up. If you are in Windows 8.x it will be on the Start Screen itself, like the screenshot at the top of this article.

Then when the Network and Sharing Center opens, click on Change adapter settings. This will be the same on Windows 7 or 8.x.

Right-click on your local adapter and select Properties.

In the Local Area Connection Properties window highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) then click the Properties button.

Now select the radio button Use the following IP address and enter in the correct IP, Subnet mask, and Default gateway that corresponds with your network setup. Then enter your Preferred and Alternate DNS server addresses. Here we’re on a home network and using a simple Class C network configuration and Google DNS.

Check Validate settings upon exit so Windows can find any problems with the addresses you entered. When you’re finished click OK.

Now close out of the Local Area Connections Properties window.

Windows 7 will run network diagnostics and verify the connection is good. Here we had no problems with it, but if you did, you could run the network troubleshooting wizard.

Now you can open the command prompt and do an ipconfig to see the network adapter settings have been successfully changed.

Windows Vista

Changing your IP from DHCP to a Static address in Vista is similar to Windows 7, but getting to the correct location is a bit different. Open the Start Menu, right-click on Network, and select Properties.

The Network and Sharing Center opens…click on Manage network connections.

Right-click on the network adapter you want to assign an IP address and click Properties.

Before you tell the user to put in the default gateway and subnet, the average user wouldnt know where to find that, so you should mention to enter into command prompt and type in “ipconfig/all,” so the user can get the settings then change them in the network adapter

Another simpler possibility for those with DLink DIR-655 routers is to set the static IP in the router itself by logging in to the admin interface and going to Setup > Network Settings > Check the tic box beside Enable DHCP Server and Enable Add DHCP Reservation.

For each machine that’s running, click the drop-down box to the right to select the machine by it’s name. Then enter the IP address of your choosing (keeping in mind the range allowed).

@everyone
Is there a way to create IP profiles (like NetWork Manager in linux) in Windows 7? I believe this is not a native thing but can either be achieved from the command line or by additional software programs.

The only thing that needs a static IP address are certain hand held devices (like scanners) or printers…that is if you don’t use DHCP reservations for them. Servers are mandatory for static IP address settings.

You will never need to use a static IP on a desktop and I highly discourage ever doing so. Let DHCP handle everything for a desktop.

Hi I have 4 computers in the network. We have a modem/router device where all PC’s are connected. Node 1 has an IP phone connected to it. (That’s the only device that is different from the basic connection) My problem is that our internet is keep on disconnecting but it will restore once I reset the modem/router. I observed that there is a message regarding IP conflict that will pop up on the lower right hand side of the screen. What do you think is the proble… Is it my IP config with 4 computers? Please help

Am I right in thinking that if you assigned a static IP for your home network, that you’d need to switch back to DHCP if you were going to use another network (i.e. at a coffee shop)? Although I imagine that this would be a problem if you’d configured static IP through your router?

I have been struggling with this one for a while. I am using Windows 7. I have set the correct values in the IP4 properties tab for my server and they take effect and the system works correctly however the ‘gateway’ value is reset to null when I reboot and as a consequence I can only connect to my intranet following a restart.

I can go back in and enter the gateway address manually but this is tiresome on each reboot.

Hello guys!
Can i create static IP adress on the computer which is not in local network? For example i need to administrate my grandfather`s PC overseas and i need to have static IP adress on his PC to use remote desktop program.
please answer guys here or on my mail,please!

to my best knowledge you can’t do that out of your home network with out knowing his default gateway my reconmmendation to get a software package called logmein and logmein.com in your situation i think that would be the best. the only thing is if you log me in free the free virsion won’t let you move files and that stuff but you can do everything else. hope this helps..

I have no issues with IP addresses on my network computers, but every time my wireless printer (HP Photosmart C7280) is powered down or loses power (powerline failure, etc) My printer gets assigned a different IP address requiring me to delete the printer and reinstall and re-configure preferences on every computer before each computer can request a print job. How can I assign a static IP address to only the printer/ The address is always between 192.168.2.2 and 192.168.2.8, but never the same twice in succession.

I am now convinced that I can either continue to ignore the warning message “windows has detected an IP address conflict blah blah. Or maybe I can call someone (who???)and hope that he or she knows what needs to be done to stop the IP address conflict message.

The comments on this blog lead me to believe that it is a crap shoot possibility of getting someone who knows for sure. So much technical jargon and gibberish…who can know for sure?

pls i hv this problem, i was called to setup an internet cafe, but after running the timers the server could not connet to the clients & the clients could not connect to the server, it keep on say ip conflict on d clients & on the server, i should contact administrator right of the client…..i.e. after assigning an ip address to it. i ask a friend he said that the basic thing is to knw the switch that they are using b4 assigning d ip’s but i am confuse cus i dnt knw hw to find the ip of the switch so that i can be able to assign the right ip’s to d computers……pls …i need help urgently…..i will like to knw if switch, router determine the ip’s we assign to network….

Hi, thanks a lot for the instruction.
I could assign the IP to my pc without problem, and the internet connection is fine. One frustrating thing is that each time when I restart my pc, they don’t seem to remember the IP I typed in, so I have to type again, is this normal?